Do decorative stones kill plants?

Photo by Stephanie Harvey on Unsplash

I have asked this question quite frequently to myself as I have noticed plants commonly and regularly fading and dying after adding decorative stones.

With my experience with stones, I have noticed this, but as usual, we always need evidence for a statement made.

Again that being said, I convinced myself to figure out the mysterious reason, and I'm glad enough to share with you a practical yet simple answer to why it happens and whether 'it' really kills our plants or are we choosing the wrong plants and weather to put them.

When I received these cute stones  -  initially, I was excited and astonished with how they looked, and so I placed a lot of them in most of my pots thinking the plant will be the same, it was later that I came to realize.

I am here to prevent you from putting these stones in some of your precious plants to avoid them from being massacred in a few days.

Most people, in common, prefer beauty not thinking about how it affects the plant and what it leads to, for example, one will choose a small pot for a large plant because of the charming look of the leaves dangling down, however, inside the pot, the roots will be squashed in and suffocated. In another case, a small pot will be chosen because of its distinctive design or feature rather than a large one. I do accept that a good look is definitely a must, but we also must consider on the other side. 

Similarly, decorative stones are significant, they are dainty, but again not compatible with certain plants.

If you're a person who only matters about the pot and decorations or what so ever....meh! You're not reading this - find your plant the next few weeks rotting in the trash bin!

I am quite ashamed to acknowledge that I understood the reason why my plant died but the stones were way too lovely to get away from the pot so I kept them till the plant died, it was too late then, I came to reality and removed them but again it was too late to realize at that time.

Do decorative stones kill plants?

Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

              

The answer is a simple 'no.' , it depends on your atmosphere, weather humidity, and plant type cannot handle it, but necessarily it is not killing your plant, it has one simple reason why they die.

What is the reason for my plant to die?

These sort of stones or in any kind when laid on top of the soil - prevent sunlight from absorbing the soggy water, that's why indoor plants must stay away from this.

My snake plant got root rot due to this which led it to die, it occurred as well to another plant of mine and several more.

Root rot is fatal to plants and it mostly cannot be noticed when these stones are added to pots.

When water is stored or packed in a pot with poor or large drainage - in any case, it will cause root rot because the root is consistently held up in the water. 

Indoor plants are mostly victims of this and can be healed fast when noticed, however, when stones are there, we as plant parents wouldn't be able to notice if the plant needs or doesn't need water and we will continue to follow our watering schedule or in another case, as I have frequently tried, we will pierce our finger into the stones, not realizing that we won't be able to even feel the moist soil because of the stones.

In conclusion, a disadvantage of having decorative stones is root rot, however, it mostly applies to indoor plants.

What are some advantages of decorative stones?

Let's say that you are going on a journey and you have to leave your outdoor plants, having no one to look after them, or you're a busy mum who can't spend time checking plants if they need water - all the time.

Stones could be a fine solution!

Hay and stones could be used to cover the tops of pots. Once you are done watering, they store the water in the soil. If your plants are outdoor ones, and they are provided sunlight or too much that dries their soil too often this can be a good solution.

How do I know if my plant is uncomfortable with decorative stones?

They will usually wilt or get highly yellow. Old foliage is normal, it occurs usually at the bottom leaves but doesn't spread through or across the plant, if you notice yellow leaves peeping from every corner through the rest of the leaves, that is a sign that your plant is uncomfortable.

Read this beneficial post to know 9 plants that like moisture, in this case, moisture is totally available when stones are put.